Gah, this is hard. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer, but I don't know if my brain can pop out this much every other day... I'll put this up to you guys. Longer chapters, but fewer updates? or shorter chapters with more frequent updates? Review and tell me!

And for those who are on the edge of their seats for Dazo to die, your wait is over! I hope his demise is satisfying enough for you guys. Read on!

A very confused, and a very angry, former jinchuuriki charged at the group behind the monitors. The ninjas immediately rushed forward to take control of the situation. The first ninja appeared behind Naruto in a flash, and dug a kunai into his back.

Naruto roared in pain, and reflexively released his 'hidden weapon'. Three blades shot forth from each of his hands. Naruto whipped his hand towards his offender, and promptly cut the ninja in half. The adamantium claws cut through the flesh like a hot knife through butter. The next ninja to approach met a similar fate.

Undaunted by the loss of two of their comrades, the rest of the ninja proceeded with their attacks. Kunai were thrown from all angles; all but a few hitting their intended targets. The knives didn't seem to affect the rampaging blonde, as another ninja was beheaded. One nin unsheathed his katana, and swung at Naruto's arm as he stabbed another ninja through the chest. The sword would have cut straight through the limb, if it were not for Naruto's newly enhanced bones.

The katana's blade stopped mid strike, and cracks began to splinter through the metal. As soon as the sword was retracted from the boy's arm, something unexpected happened. As the ninjas watched, the split muscles knitted themselves back together, and then were quickly covered by skin. The only evidence there had been a wound in the first place was the blood that stained the area.

A trio of claws shot out and killed the swordsman before he could launch another attack.

Realizing that conventional weapons would not work, the ninja leaped back and began using their jutsu. Fireballs were spit, lightning shot forth, and a dragon of water rose from the ground and knocked the blonde off his feet. The ninja paused, waiting to see if their opponent was subdued.

The ninja tensed as Naruto rose to his feet. The burns on his body were already healing, and they didn't seem to have done anything more than anger the blonde ninja more. Blood-red eyes glared at the masked men and women in front of him, before focusing on the other side of the room. There, standing calmly as his underlings were slaughtered, was Danzo. Some primal instinct drove Naruto forward, as he launched himself over the row of ninja and towards their leader.

Before the ninja could make any attempt to save their superior, Danzo had already moved into action. With his one good hand, he lifted the bandages over his eye to reveal something that was very difficult for the older man to obtain. The three-tomes of a mature sharingan spun in Danzo's eye, and the world seemed to slow down.

All of Naruto's movements were analyzed and copied in an instant. In another instant, Danzo came to the starling revelation that there was no method or discipline behind the boy's movements; he was lashing out in an animalistic fashion that wouldn't be effective if it wasn't for the sheer brute force he was putting into it. It was less then a second after that that Danzo began his counter attack.

Too bad it took less than that for the enraged blonde to reach him. His extended adamantium claws dug into the man's side, ripping though his body with frightening ease. The arc of Naruto's swing caused his claws to emerge from Danzo's flesh midway through his abdomen.

Despite being crippled, the older ninja quickly utilized as much chakra as he could afford into placing Naruto into an elaborate genjutsu.

Darkness covered the room as Naruto's sight was cut off. Momentarily disoriented the blonde stumbled back. He whipped his head back and forth, desperately searching for the enemy he knew was there only moments ago. Blindly, Naruto slashed his claws at the darkness, attempting to hit something, anything.

There was a rustle to his left. Instantly his head snapped toward the noise, and his nostrils flared as the sent of sweat and blood assaulted his senses. Naruto knew, there was someone there. He lunged forward, and his claws met the resistance of a human body.

Then there was another one. And another. And another. Naruto could smell them, hear them. They were coming towards him. They were going to hurt him. They were hunting him.

Naruto would not accept that. He would not be hunted! They were his prey. He would kill them!

Danzo watched in morbid fascination as the blinded teenager tore his finest shinobi to shreds. He could feel his strength waning; several of his vital organs had been hit in that attack. He would survive if he could make it to the infirmary ward on the floor above. First, he would have to make it up there. His genjutsu would only hold up as long as his chakra could feed it, and it seemed that the only reason Naruto hadn't attacked him was because he didn't pose an immediate threat. That would change as soon as the pawns had been dealt with.

With as much strength as he could muster, Danzo lurched out of the room. He regretted immediately having cleared this floor. The operation was supposed to be the of the utmost secrecy; the fewer of his operatives that new, the better. The whole ROOT base was a secret, with many secrets hidden inside. Danzo's agents were trained to never question orders, or deviate from what they were told.

No help would come for him until he reached the top of the stairs. All that he had to do was make it down the unbearably long hallway.

With each step it became harder for Danzo to breathe. He was loosing blood fast, but his years of ninja training prevented him from panicking. He could hear fighting sill going on in the room behind him. There were screams, and the sound of metal hitting metal. The old ninja kept his composure. Any emotion now would cause him to act rashly. Any frantic movement would only cause him to bleed more. Danzo remained calm, and focused.

He could feel his heart straining to beat as his blood flowed away. He could feel a burning in his chest that could only mean his digestive acid had finally begun leaking from the gash in his stomach. This significantly lowered the time Danzo had left, so the older man began to quicken his pace. All he could hear in the hall was his muted footsteps and harsh breaths.

Wait...

Danzo's eyes widened slightly, 'Where is the screaming?' The ninja turned around.

Standing in the partially open doorway of the laboratory, surrounded by dismembered bodies, was what used to be Uzumaki Naruto. The boy wasn't too terribly tall, but now seemed to tower imposingly. He was covered in blood; most of which probably wasn't his own. There were various weapons lodged in his body still, but Danzo watched as the boy ripped a kunai out of his shoulder, the wound closing almost instantly. The metal blades that extended from the back of his hands dripped with gore, and they flashed menacingly where the light hit them. The previously bright blonde hair was now a malicious orange color, and hung limply into Naruto's face.

Danzo had created a monster. A monster, who's demonic eyes were looking straight at him.

No, Danzo corrected himself. Through him. The genjutsu was still in effect, the boy couldn't see him. But he knew he was there. Without a shadow of a doubt, Uzumaki Naruto was aware of the dying man in the hallway.

Naruto stepped forward, towards the sound of strangled breathes and a frantic heartbeat. He could smell the man's blood, his sweat, and something else he hadn't smelt on any of the others he fought. Danzo smelt of fear.

With a loud roar, Naruto lunged towards Danzo's prone form. The man was paralyzed, terrified of the monster that would serve as his executioner. He didn't even try to run.

It was over all too quickly.

Light suddenly flooded into Naruto's eyes, and once again he could see his surroundings. At his feet was a dead man; the one who had been the leader. But it wasn't over, Naruto could smell others. There were more people in this compound.

More prey to kill.

The base was in flames. Some one's katon had accidentally caught the floor alight, and the ninja who were still alive were far too busy to put it out. Everyone was fighting for their lives.

Naruto was on a rampage. Every foe that approached him met a swift and bloody end. He was hit with a multitude of weapons, but none stalled his movements. Jutsu that should have killed a normal man only did temporary damage. Genjutsu after genjutsu were used, but none could prevent Naruto from attacking. It was obvious that the ninja were fighting a losing battle.

But these were ROOT ninja. The had no emotions, and would never stop attacking. This conditioning would be their downfall.

It was the bloodiest massacre since the fall of the Uchiha clan. Too bad there would be no survivors. Hundreds of people would disappear, and no one would know for many days.

Naruto slashed through the last of his opposition, leaving him alone inside the building. He had fought through many floors, searching for a way to freedom. Now that the threats to his safety had been eliminated, the blonde began to calm down. His previously blood-red eyes faded to blue. Whatever rage possessed him when he attacked, was now slowly ebbing away.

What was left was a very confused, and slightly scared teenaged boy.

Instinctually, Naruto knew he had to get to safety. He didn't know where he was, or how he got here. He couldn't remember anything except an awful pain, and then a fight for his life. There were people lying dead everywhere, but Naruto didn't know who they were. He didn't know who he was. He just knew he had to get out of this...wherever he was.

He checked every door, but none led to an exit. Oh well, he'd just make his own.

Metal claws slashed through stone walls with little resistance. For the first time he could remember, Naruto smelled fresh air. It smelled like freedom. He stepped through the hole he had created, and observed his surroundings. He seemed to be on top of some sort of mountain, the building he had been before was built into the rock face, and probably extended many stories down into the stone. Off the ledge before him stretched more buildings. Hundreds of dwellings surrounded his current position, bombarding his senses with thousands of smells of daily life. Though there were no threats he could see, Naruto didn't want to go near this settling.

Behind him, trees monopolized the landscape. There were no signs that humans had been in that forest recently, so Naruto headed there. He needed someplace to hide for the moment.

At Konoha General Hospital, the hourly rounds led one nurse to check on the patient Uzumaki Naruto. The patient had been unconscious for several hours, but it was best to just check and make sure everyone was alright.

This particular nurse hadn't been having a good day so far. First, she burned her hand on the stove this morning. Then she spilled coffee on her scrubs during break. But the worst thing by far was when she was shooed from her station by a masked ninja. The nerve of those men, clearing an entire ward of employees and not telling a soul why! She didn't care what orders they were under; it was dangerous to deprive patients from medical care for any amount of time.

Luckily everyone had been allowed back in a timely manner, and so far nothing seemed amiss. That is, until Naruto's door was opened to reveal a hospital room that was disturbingly not occupied.

The nurse turned on her heal and ran to tell her superior: there was a patient missing.

I was apparent to Tsunade that her headache wasn't going away any time soon. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it now. A fire had broken out on top of the Hokage mountain, and many of the buildings near there were at risk of catching flame. Also, she had just been informed that Uzumaki Naruto was missing from the hospital.

Tsunade sighed, and leveled her gaze on the team of five in front of her. Standing at attention was Naruto's active teammates, Hatake Kakashi and the mysterious Sai. Accompanying them was team 8; Abarame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and his dog Akamaru, and Hyuuga Hinata.

"As you know, I've summoned you all here to search for Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade began, "Some time within the last two hours, he went missing from his hospital room. The brat probably woke up and decided to sneak out to Ichiraku's, but there's always a chance something more serious has happened."

"You two," the Hokage said, pointing towards Sai and Kakashi, "are on his team, and thus know his habits. If the brat did sneak out, you can most likely guess where he is. Just incase he isn't here, you three," she pointed towards team 8, "will use your tracking abilities to search for him. When you find him, drag him in here by his hair if you have to. Dismissed."

The five shinobi exited the Hokage's office, and headed towards the hospital to begin their search. The only female of the group, Hinata, was exceptionally worried about the blonde boy.

"Kakashi-san," she said, her voice quiet, "do you think Naruto-kun's okay?"

Kakashi's only visible eye creased; the only sign he was smiling. It was nice to know his student had someone who cared about him like Hinata did, even if the blonde hadn't realized it yet, "I'm sure of it. Naruto's never liked hospitals; he probably snuck out the minute he was conscious."

Hinata smiled a little, 'That sounds like something he would do.'

The group made their way to Naruto's previous hospital room, where Kiba and Akamaru would search for his sent trail. After getting a good whiff of the blonde's sent, the group followed it out of the room, into the hallway and, surprisingly, onto the roof. Kiba stopped the procession here.

"There's something odd," he said, "When we were in Naruto's room, I noticed there were a few unfamiliar scents. I didn't think it was weird or anything 'cause it might have been a nurse or a doctor. The scents were in the hallway too, but I didn't think it was a big deal. But the thing is, those scents are up here too."

Hinata looked at her teammate confusedly, "Why would a doctor be on the roof?"

"Unless it wasn't a doctor," Kakashi said, rubbing his chin contemplatively, "From Kiba's description it appears that a group of people either chased after Naruto when he tried to escape, or they led him up here." They cycloptic jounin turned back to the Inuzuka, "Does the trail continue?"

Kiba nodded, "I can smell Naruto, faintly. He probably jumped onto another roof or something." The group leapt from the Hospital roof, following the path Naruto took not too long ago. They were taken first to the abandoned neighborhoods around the wall, and then on a wild goose chase through the village. The trail winded through the village; leading the five through back alleys and empty streets.

"Where could Naruto-san have been going?" Sai questioned.

"It's beginning to look more and more like he was taken," Kakashi said, a hint of worry working its way into his voice, "His abductors must have doubled back multiple times to make it difficult to be followed."

The trail eventually led the group up the winding trail to the top of the Hokage mountain. There they saw dozens of ninja attempting to get a wild fire under control. While the fire didn't seem to be spreading, smoke was still erupting in a continuous stream from a large hole in the mountain side. Hinata became even more concerned.

"You don't think Naruto-kun is somehow involved with the fires?" she said, her worried eyes watching a group of nin launching suiton at the flames. Sai was looking concerned as well, which was odd for the boy. Kakashi noticed this immediately.

"Sai, do you know anything about this?"

Sai's face regained it's emotionless state, "I...cannot say."

Kakashi's eye narrowed, "It's about ROOT, isn't it." Sai would not reply. With a sigh, the jounin turned to Kiba, "Where does the trail lead from here?""That's the thing," the Inuzuka said, "it doesn't. Naruto's trail stops here, before the smell of smoke covers everything up." Kakashi nodded, and turned to the stoic Abarame.

"Shino, have your bugs search the surrounding area."

Without a word, Shino lifted his arms from his sides. A swarm of thousands of black insects shot forth from booth sleeves, and flew off. The team waited for a few moments, before the swarm returned to Shino's body. A lone bug landed on the boy's finger.

"There is no sign of him nearby, but there is one unknown male in the woods, directly west of our position."

"Hinata," Kakashi said, "If you would." He motioned towards the woods. The girl nodded, before activating her clan's bloodline.

"Byakugan." Instantly, Hinata's field of vision expanded. The girl focus on the wooded area just beyond the flames. She saw through the trees, searching for her long time crush.

There, just on the edge of her vision, was a human figure. Hinata honed in on it's position, focusing on the unique chakra signature of the person.

"I've found him!" Hinata cried, "Naruto-kun's there, in the woods. Only there's something...different about him."

This news put all the ninja on edge. Without further ado, the five quickly sprinted into the forest to find their friend and comrade.

So for those who were wating, there she is! Hinata's in the story now. How is Naruto going to react when they arrive, mmmmm? You'll see...next chapter!

If you have a thought and you want me to hear it, please call 1-800-CLICK-THE-REVIEW-BUTTON.